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Democratic state lawmakers vowed Tuesday to oppose Republican efforts to strike the Citizens’ Election Program from the state budget, warning that dismantling a program that offers public money to campaigns would move the state backward in ethics in politics.

"This system is a model for the nation, and it was put in place after a terrible corruption scandal that put Connecticut on the map for all the wrong reasons,” said Democratic state Sen. Mae Flexer, of Killingly, who co-chairs the government administration and elections committee.